Billowing in the night sky, flames engulf a canal boat before totally destroying it following a suspected arson attack.

Fire crews found the moored barge ablaze in the water shortly after midnight and used jets to tackle the inferno, but the vessel could not be saved.

Watch manager Neil Aylett said the owner had only recently bought the boat.

He added: “Thankfully there was no one on the boat when it set alight, the fire was quite difficult to access because the site is being developed and we had to run hoses all the way from the main road to reach the blaze.

“We were assisted by a boat crew from our Water Incident Unit, who were in the water to keep us safe while we were working by the water’s edge. We think this fire may have been deliberate. Police officers were at the scene with us and are investigating.”

The blaze broke out at New Islington Marina in Ancoats, near Manchester city centre, on Friday morning, according to the Manchester Evening News.

This month the area has suffered from a series of muggings and attacks on residents, and another canal boat was vandalised in early August. It is not yet known if the latest barge fire is connected to other crimes in the area.